Islamabad, January 09, 2018 (PPI-OT):The National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Nasser Khan Janjua is presently visiting Iran to attend the 2nd Tehran Security Conference on the invitation of Iran Government. Speaking as a keynote Speaker, the National Security Advisor projected Pakistan’s perspective on the security challenges of the region particularly the decades old conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan which has created problems for the neighbouring countries and threatened peace and security of the region and beyond. He stressed the significance and urgency of cooperation among the regional and International players to seek an early closure of the Afghan conflict to pave way for realising the economic potential of the region.

The National Security Advisor highlighted the challenges faced by the region including the great power rivalries in West Asia, the policies to contain Russia and China and above all the grave challenge of terrorist groups such as Daesh which is gaining a foothold in Afghanistan. He reminded the audience of unprecedented sacrifices of 60,000 people of Pakistan and valiant performance of armed forces and law enforcement agencies (LEAs).He added that Pakistan also sustained the losses of $120 billion to the economy since 9/11.

As regards the way forward to overcome the regional challenges, the National Security Advisor stressed that the countries of the region should approach regional issues within a framework of cooperation and collaboration instead of competition and confrontation. Rather than indulging in public rhetoric, regional countries should take practical measures in a cooperative framework to resolve the complex issues facing the region. In this regard, he called upon the International community to address the problem of Narco business in Afghanistan which is feeding the monster of terrorism.